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We examined criminal records across adolescence for a sample of young people processed through a statewide Children's Court (N = 2366) between 2012 and 2018, some of who were referred to a group conferencing program (n = 836). We also examined associations between different program elements and subsequent rates of recidivism, including victim, police, and family participation in the conference process. Recurrent-event survival analysis indicated group conferencing was associated with substantive reductions in the likelihood of recurrent recidivism (26–40% reduced likelihood), controlling for individual propensity for recidivism and both static and time-varying predictors. Within conference completers, binary logistic and negative binomial regression indicated conferences attended by secondary victims and primary police members were associated with larger reductions in post-conference recidivism, compared to conferences with primary victim participation only. Importantly, recidivism likelihood and rates did not differ between those attended by no victim or those attended by a primary victim. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Accumulating evidence internationally points to an increased risk of crime perpetration and victimization among people with an intellectual disability (ID). This study aimed to examine the impact that comorbid mental illness had on the association between intellectual disability, crime perpetration and criminal victimization. Method: A case linkage methodology involving 2,220 individuals with an intellectual disability from an Australian State. Results: One in four (27%) had contacts with public mental health services; 8.2% had a comorbid mental illness. This "dual disability" group was between 2.97 and 3.22 times more likely than those with intellectual disability alone to have a history of criminal charges, and between 2.76 and 2.97 times more likely to have been a victim of crime. Conclusions: The extent of criminality and victimization found among people with dual disability indicates a potentially multiply stigmatized group for whom the need for a coordinated cross-agency service response remains paramount.

Objective: To determine the rate and risk of clinical and personality disorders diagnosed in childhood and adulthood in those known to have been sexually abused during childhood. Methods: Forensic medical records of 2,759 sexually abused children assessed between 1964 and 1995 were linked with a public psychiatric database between 12 and 43 years later. Cases were compared to control subjects matched on gender and age groupings drawn from the general population through a random sample of the national electoral database. Results: A lifetime record of contact with public mental health services was found in 23.3% of cases compared to 7.7% of controls. The rate of contact among child sexual abuse victims was 3.65 times higher (95% CI, 3.09-4.32, p less than 0.001). It was estimated that child sexual abuse accounted for approximately 7.83% of mental health contact. Exposure to sexual abuse increased risks for the majority of outcomes including psychosis, affective, anxiety, substance abuse, and personality disorders. Rates of clinical disorders diagnosed in adulthood and childhood remained significantly higher among child sexual abuse cases. Older age at sexual abuse and those exposed to severe abuse involving penetration or multiple offenders were associated with greater risk for psychopathology. Conclusions: This study confirms that child sexual abuse is a substantial risk factor for a range of mental disorders in both childhood and adulthood. Practice implications: Those treating victims of sexual abuse must assess not only disorders commonly associated with trauma, but also low prevalence disorders such as psychosis. (Contains 4 tables.)